Lytton Springs 2022

The Lytton Springs vineyard lies north of Healdsburg, in Sonoma County, on the benches and slopes that separate the Dry Creek and Alexander valleys. This cuvée comes from the Dry Creek Valley, where old head-trained vines are rooted in mostly clay-gravel soils. The historic plots, many planted in the early 20th century, are interplanted with Mediterranean and Californian grape varieties.

The estate's organic grapes are harvested by hand, destemmed and crushed. Alcoholic fermentation takes place with native yeasts, followed by a complete malolactic fermentation driven by naturally occurring bacteria. The wine is aged for sixteen months in air-dried American oak barrels, 17% of them new. Pad filtration is carried out before bottling, in keeping with a minimal-intervention approach.

This wine reveals notes of blackberry, blueberry, black plum, black cherry, bramble, violet, sage, anise, black pepper, cigar box, dark chocolate and minerality. The palate is broad and concentrated, carried by an enveloping texture, balanced acidity and firm, abundant yet well-coated tannins. The long, spicy finish retains lovely freshness and a flavoursome expression.

In the United States, 90% of the wine produced comes from California. It was the influx of gold prospectors into California that boosted the Californian wine industry in the mid-19th century, particularly in Sonoma and Napa. At the start of the 20th century there were 800 wineries. From 1919 to 1933, Prohibition destroyed the vast majority of the Californian wine industry, so much so that by 1933 only 140 wineries were still producing wine. It was not until 1960 that the wine industry began to recover from Prohibition, and California was then known mainly for fortified wines (in the style of Port). It was also in the 1960s that some of the most famous wineries were founded (Mondavi, Heitz Wine Cellars, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, etc.). In 1976 a landmark event took place: the legendary tasting competition better known as the "Judgement of Paris". It pitted the greatest French wines against the American newcomers. On 24 May, an unexpected result shook the wine world when, to everyone's surprise, the United States came out on top. Yet the competition remains fairly unknown to the general public. Today there is no doubt that the United States produces great wines. Although California largely monopolises the reputation of American wines with its excellent Zinfandels, the state of Oregon produces some of the best Pinot Noir in the world and Washington State offers excellent Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.